Seashells in the Sand
by LudwigTheViolin
Summary: "If only I could see more of your world." Everyday, the villagers could see their prince sitting atop a rock, staring out into the ocean. And everyday, the merman would travel the extra mile just to see his prince. They are content with their secret love, meeting up where the sea and shore becomes one. Until an encounter with a strange child spins their world around. DenNor


**Summary: "If only I could see more of your world." Everyday, the villagers could see their prince sitting atop a rock, staring out into the ocean. And everyday, the merman would travel the extra mile just to see his prince. They are content with their secret love, meeting up where the sea and shore becomes one. Until an encounter with a strange child spins their world around.**

 **Author's Note: Hej hej! I'm alive! I went to Disneyland (a long time ago, now, seeing how I took forever to write this fanfic), so I became inspired. Although, I have to admit that this is so detached from Disney that I have no idea how this came about. I also tried a more descriptive and lengthy writing style with this. And then I got writer's block in the middle of writing this and it was terrible. On a side note, this was originally supposed to be a oneshot but it ended up being a lot longer than I thought it would be. Anyways, enjoy the story!**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Hetalia, Disneyland, Nattens Gløder, or the Little Mermaid. Rights go to their respective owners.**

* * *

 **Characters (in order of appearance/mention):**

 **Norway - Sigurd Thomassen**

 **Denmark - Mikkel Strand**

 **Sweden - Bjarne Strand**

 **Iceland - Eiríkur Thomassen**

 **Finland - Timo Strand**

 **Netherlands - Mogens Aarden**

 **Belgium - Aleid Aarden**

* * *

 **Translations:**

 **NOTICE: I don't speak Danish (I can barely speak Swedish) so translations may be wrong.**

 **(Danish) Hallo - Hello**

 **(Danish) Lillebror - Little brother**

* * *

 _Perspective of Mikkel Strand_

I smiled.

My spiky hair, colored like golden wheat and the morning sun as Sigurd would say, brushed against my face as I swam. Rays of the sun broke through ocean waves like pillars of swirling honey floating through the dark blue emptiness. I dared not to look down, for I was swimming in the open ocean, and only horrors untold could be found at the bottom. I did not swim for the thrill of danger and rush of adrenaline, like some of my people did, nor did I swim with the intent to discover what lay below our part of the ocean, which was what some more foolish people did.

I chuckled to myself at the thought that I had called those people foolish for trying to uncover the bottom of the ocean. In the eyes of my lover, I was far more foolish than them. Sigurd would probably have stared at me blankly with his cold, emotionless eyes that reminded me so much of the ocean I was swimming in right now. And then he would have insulted me, a jab to my pride by making some remark about how I'm more idiotic and annoying than those people.

Of course I would just laugh it off and hug him, embrace him in my arms and hold him so tight, tighter than when I was only a child and still held onto my mother when we swam through the open ocean. Even now I can imagine the scowl on his face as he attempts to pry me off of him. He was never one for physical affection.

The very thought of Sigurd's beautiful face, which I dare say looked prettier than a pearl, brought a grin to my face, and I found myself swimming faster and faster towards Sigurd, my Sigurd.

In the distance, I saw a cliff, the tell-tale sign that I was almost at my destination. Once I reached the area, here I could see the ocean floor beneath me. Sea plants flourished in large patches and schools of small, colorful fish were swimming here and there. As I found myself getting closer and closer to the shoreline, I could feel the beating of my heart quicken, excited. I was reaching the shore, which was just as dangerous as the open ocean, if not even more so.

But that didn't matter to me. If anything, this shore was the warmest place I had ever been. And it was not warm in a literal sense. Although the sun made it less cold than the water, my heart knew that the reason why I was so attached to this place was not because of that.

No, this place was warm and sweet and breathtaking, all because it was the place where I had first laid my eyes on Sigurd.

I turned and twisted through the water, small bubbles erupting from every splash my tail made as it swooshed around. I headed for a large rock, not far from the shore. It was so bleak compared to the colorful sea floor beneath me now. A splotch of grey in the middle of vibrant greens and bright oranges. To me, however, that boring piece of earth was so precious. It was the foundation of our love, our rendezvous point.

My head erupted from the water, and I was greeted with the most beautiful sight in the whole world.

* * *

"You're late, Mikkel," a tired, monotone voice rang out. Sitting atop the rock, was Sigurd Thomassen, my lover. His eyes, bottomless like the open ocean swirled with slight annoyance and relief. His beautiful eyes also showed how worn out he was, blinking many times as an attempt to drive away sleepiness, perhaps.

I made mental notes of what Sigurd wore today. I had absolutely no use for the clothing Sigurd wore, for I had no legs and no reason to cover my chest, but I found that Sigurd's clothing suited him.

His breeches were the color of the sand, silver swirls of designs on the side that reminded me of the scarlet, intricate marks that decorated my own skin. I could tell that Sigurd had immediately retreated to our meeting place after whatever important events he had that day. He usually wore his plain breeches when he visited me, and never anything light colored, because he did not want to get his clothes dirty. Today, he even wore a coat, a badge stitched on to showcase his job as port master. Apparently he was one of the most important men in the human village.

Really, I didn't care for what he wore. Sigurd could be wearing the most ridiculous suit to ever be made and I would still see his beauty.

I laughed wholeheartedly, before swimming closer to Sigurd. The man moved over and made space on the rock for me. I heaved myself up onto it, careful not to touch Sigurd, lest I get him wet.

It was not that Sigurd had anything wrong with me touching him, although he did get bothered when I got water on his clothes and whenever I became too physically affectionate. I knew that Sigurd was wearing something important that he was not allowed to get dirty, disheveled, or wet. Just like me, he came from a strict family, one of our differences coming from the simple fact that his family was on land and mine was in the sea.

"Bjarne was pesterin' me again. Ya know he dislikes it when I swim all the way here," I offered as a reply. Sigurd sighed, shaking his head, before resting his head on my tail fin. I laughed again, taking my hand off the rock to pet Sigurd's hair, careful not to move his cross-shaped hair clip out of place.

"I would be angry if Eiríkur were to travel everyday to see a lover whom I've never met," Sigurd replied, closing his eyes. He was talking about his brother. His younger brother was the only thing I really knew about Sigurd's family, and only because he enjoyed bragging about how adorable he was and how much he loved the boy.

I cupped his soft skin in my hand, which was slightly more tan than the first time we had met, a year ago. Coming everyday to see me, out in the sun, meant that he was exposed to the rays of sunlight. At least he wasn't locking himself inside of his room, like he told me he used to do before I met him.

"Let's not talk 'bout our brothers, I believe I came here to see my lover," I said, moving my hand to Sigurd's cheek.

I lowered my head, so that our noses touched. I offered Sigurd a small smile, before closing the gap between us. For the millionth time, we were sealing our love in a sweet kiss.

* * *

I swam quietly through the cove, trying my best not to stir too much water. I scolded myself for spending too much time with Sigurd, but then I ended up scolding myself for thinking that spending too much time with Sigurd was a bad thing. There was no such thing as spending too much time with Sigurd.

There was such a thing, however, as getting in trouble with my brother, who was strict. Börje disliked it when I swam through the open ocean, which is also why he hated it whenever I told him I was going out for a swim. I passed by my brother and brother-in-law's room as silently as possible, hoping that they were asleep and would not question me for the umpteenth time.

"Welcome home, Mikkel," a voice called out, and I stopped dead in my tracks. I turned around, slowly, scared to see who was behind me.

It was my brother-in-law, Bjarne's husband, or wife as Bjarne affecionately called him, Timo, holding a spear in his hand and a dead fish in his hands.

Laughing awkwardly, I rubbed the nape of my neck, as I began to talk. "Oh, hallo, Timo. For a second there I thought ya were Bjarne, but then I remembered that yer voice isn't as deep and rumbling and manly as his and there's no way his could be so bubbly and womanly," I said, letting down my guard.

"It's not my fault I was born with a siren's voice," Timo replied, setting the fish down into a storage hole and leaning his spear up against the wall of the cave, "But, y'know, Bjarne was worried. This is the longest you've ever been gone. You never tell us where you go, all we know is that you swim through the open ocean."

"Really, Timo, it's nothing. While I'm flattered that ya and Bjarne are concerned about me, I'm already 23, I don't need ya two watchin' over me so closely," I said to Timo. Luckily for me, Timo chose not to prod more, instead, sighing and heading into his bedroom to join my brother in their bed.

As soon as Timo was far into the room, I swam as fast as I could to my portion of the cove. I went into my room and, looking back to make sure no one was watching, I rolled back a large stone in the corner. The stone fell onto the floor of my home with a 'thud'. A large hole, a pathway that I could barely swim through, was revealed. I maneuvered myself through the secret entryway, and before I swam into its depths, I reached for the stone and slid it back into its place in front of the gaping hole.

In front of me was my treasures. Many of them were presents from Sigurd, others were valuables that I found in shipwrecks, but a majority of them I had bought from someone in the city. Walls of my personal treasure trove were covered with deteriorating paintings and rusting decor. On shelves carved out of the rocks were many different devices that I could not understand, and many times I had asked Sigurd to explain what they were, but I found it hard to grasp the use and importance of some of them.

Like, for instance, what the point of a hair brush was. I could not understand why I would have to brush my hair, after all, my parents had always told me that my wild, untamed hair was something to be proud of. It represented my free spirit.

Really, I could only think of one way that a hair brush could be useful to me. And that was because I loved it when Sigurd would comb my hair. Whenever he gently tugged against it, petting it lightly when he thought I was resting.

"If only I could see more of your world," I whispered to myself, secretly hoping that Sigurd could hear my wish, before swimming out and back into my bedroom.

* * *

"I'm headin' out, Bjarne!" I called out as I reached the entrance, which was also the exit, of our home. I had hardly gotten any sleep last night, I felt so anxious for some reason.

My brother emerged from his room, already donning the ornaments worn by the palace guards. He was the exact opposite of his spouse, Timo.

Timo was small, with wide purple eyes, and blond hair always combed neatly. My brother-in-law was from another territory; he was originally part of Urho, a tribe separate from the kingdom, a tribe known for their offspring, who were ruthless killing machines. His tribe was one of few in which merchildren could be born with a siren's voice, a weapon so deadly that it could bend the minds of its victims to its will. In most kingdoms and tribes, a child born with a siren's voice was immediately killed, along with its parents and any relatives. Timo had been born with the siren's voice, which made him sound more like a girl, and had been a warrior since birth.

Bjarne, on the other hand, was tall, masculine, which was required of being a young palace guard, and had electric blue eyes that could metaphorically kill you if he even glanced your way. He was born here, in the kingdom, and was raised, since he was born, to become a palace guard to protect the king. I had been raised to become a guard, as well, but gladly escaped that role once offered the chance. He was intimidating, with his deep voice that I have heard people compare to thunder. I, of course, was not bothered or even the least bit intimidated by him.

After all, how could I possibly be afraid of my younger brother?

Yes, he was younger than me, shocking to most when they compare our heights and look at our personalities, and it made no sense really why he worried over me. Really, it should be me fretting over him, he lives in my home after all and has a dangerous job of being a palace guard to our king.

And just so you don't think I'm an irresponsible brother, I worry about him; I worry about him a lot, and perhaps my best example of my care was when he came home covered with bruises.

I had demanded an explanation as I helped his wounds heal with some poultice, he had very nasty gashes and bruises all over. He had told me that he was in charge of taking care of an ambassador from the Urho siren tribe.

Timo happened to be the ambassador for the Urho, not because of his siren's voice or warrior status, but because he was the only one in his tribe who could speak both his native tongue and all of the languages of our kingdom. The merpeople who first met Timo were fine with him, some even admitted to loving him and wanting to court him; until they learned that he was a siren.

As soon as word spread of Timo's cursed voice, the people had grown violent. No one really thought about how Timo came from a different world, where things were different from our's, like how humans and merpeople are different. I think the nobility couldn't have cared less about Timo, I'm certain they were hoping for his death, but the Urho were strong warriors and formidable allies.

They were possessive and protective, one could not mess with an Urho without igniting the wrath of everyone else in their tribe. And Timo was perhaps the most precious member of the Urho, he was their strongest and most beloved. Apparently, before he had become the ambassador and when he wasn't fighting, he had been the only teacher in the school that the tribe had, a role model for the children.

Our king knew that having good relations with the siren tribe would do good for the kingdom; so for the sake of gaining an ally for the kingdom and not creating an enemy, Bjarne, who had proved himself a skilled rookie at that time, was assigned to protect Timo, although it was obvious he could protect himself.

One thing lead to another, and somehow Bjarne managed to seal a concrete alliance between our kingdom and Timo's tribe by marrying Timo.

"Wh're 're ya headin'?" Bjarne asked, from where he floated, concern in his eyes. I already knew why he seemed weary. He thought I was going to swim through the open ocean again.

"I'm not headin' out to the open ocean, lillebror," I assured him, swimming up to him. I placed my hand on my sibling's shoulder and looked him in the eyes to show him that I was telling the truth.

"Ya swear y're no'?" He asked again, looking back into my eyes. His eyes that were usually squinted in an attempt to see better, were now relieved from their usual stare and were instead replaced and filled with concern.

I turned away from my brother and began swimming to the door again. Before I left, I looked back to Bjarne, who was in the same spot as before. "I'm jus' headin' out to do some errands, I'll be stayin' within the city walls," I told him, before swimming out quickly to get my tasks done.

What I had said was not a lie, too; I really only was going to do a few errands. Sigurd had informed me yesterday that he would not be able to see me today, he had more duties than usual and an important friend he rarely saw was visiting. Of course, with the mention of this friend I have never heard of, I grew a little jealous. That was why I had gone home later than usual last night, Sigurd had spent a good hour convincing me that he was only seeing a friend and not another lover.

* * *

I swam through the market, purchasing a few poultices and salves. There were plenty of merfolk swimming around, which was a given seeing how the square was the busiest place in the kingdom. Here you could buy practically anything. Anything originating from the world of mermaids and mermen, that is.

If I wanted human items, I would have gone into the shadier part of the kingdom. That area was filled with criminals, but only when the royal guard was not looking. If the city guard was present, the people who lived and worked in that area could care less. There you could buy anything, but none of it was cheap. Before I had met Sigurd, I had frequented that place, going there to buy mysterious merchandise that the humans lost in the water.

Technically, me buying illegal merchandise wasn't illegal. It was my job after all. As a scholar, one specifically specialized in humans and their world, it was my job to learn as much about them as possible. I loved learning about their culture and environment, it differed so much from ours.

Of course, when I met Sigurd I learned that we had a lot more in common than I originally perceived. So, I loved my job, which gave me all the reasons to learn about humans and how wonderful they are. There was only two things I disliked about my job.

The first thing I hated about my job as a scholar were the other scholars. My choice to learn more about humans was not well received by others, although the king himself actually encouraged it. Whenever I went to the palace, whether it be to check on Bjarne and Timo or to visit the archives, I would receive jeering looks and snarls, hidden professionally with hushed whispers and subtle glances. Many times, when it was one of the guards outside of Bjarne's regiment or one of the courtesans, their hatred was even greater for me than that of the other scholars.

Not only was I studying humans, I was the brother-in-law to Timo. It really was a shame that not many liked Timo, he really was a good person. And when the hatred wasn't about me or Timo, it had to do with my mother, who had left the sea for a human.

The only people who genuinely liked my family was the royal family.

Sometimes, if I listened carefully, I could hear the other merfolk whisper about how my family lineage was cursed. I couldn't blame them to think that way, though. If you were to look at the big picture you would see a long line of disaster. First, I refused service to the king and chose instead to study our worst enemy: humans. Second, the honorable son who did serve the king was married to a siren.

My father had died in a battle, his head paraded around on a pike by the rival kingdom. My grandfather had explored the deep sea and never returned. My great grandmother had wandered into the deep sea, and came back mentally scarred. Really, I could go on forever about how cursed my family was.

The second thing I hated about my job was the title I was officially given. Officially, my job was not about researching human culture and getting to know them. I was actually supposed to study humans and see how we could defend ourselves against them. I hated it whenever I was called, "Mikkel Strand: Official Scholar of Military Affairs with Humans". And technically, I wasn't supposed to directly interact with humans. Interacting with humans was frowned upon among merfolk.

No matter what tribe or kingdom, it was agreed upon: humans were the enemy.

* * *

"Watch where yer going!" A voice shouted out, snapping me out of my thoughts.

Dazed and confused, I looked around, only to realize that I had unconsciously wandered into the shadier side of the kingdom, the corner were crooks and criminals staked out. Harlots leaned against the walls, easily spotted with their ghastly perfumes that polluted the water around them. Pickpockets littered the area, some of which were eyeing me, or more specifically, looking at my satchel. There were a few intoxicated merfolk sitting on the path.

I swam through the tiny pathway between the small homes and businesses, which were cramped together and tilted awkwardly. A few people whispered as I passed them, sending me pointed stares, but I gave no acknowledgement that I noticed. Since I was in this area, I figured I might as well visit an old friend while I'm at it.

Soon, I found myself at the literal corner of the kingdom.

There was a wall bordering our kingdom's capital. The wall wouldn't have been necessary if it had not been for the fact that the capital was located at the edge of the kingdom.

The purpose of the wall was no longer to keep anyone out or in, seeing how we shared that border with the Urho, who were now our allies. It used to be used as protection against the Urho, just in case the tribe decided that they wanted to attack, but now the wall was kept as a physical representation of the geographical border between our kingdom and the tribe.

It was originally supposed to be torn down, but when the people who lived by it heard of the plans, they immediately protested. Sadly, the people of our kingdom were not accepting of the new alliance with the Urho, so the king managed to convince Timo to find a way to tell his tribe that the wall was to remain standing that didn't offend them.

I looked over to the stall in front of the little house, which stood where the two walls met. Above it was a sign which read, "Mogens' Merchandise". A large drape covered the stall, however, meaning that they were closed. I went over to the entrance of my friend's home, which had a door over it, something that was usually unusual in other parts of the capital but was common in this area, and knocked loudly.

In the midst of my obnoxious knocking, the door flung open to reveal Mogens Aarden, the owner of Mogens' Merchandise and the only person who lived in the house at the corner of the kingdom. His hair was as defiant as mine was, spiked up constantly. Around his neck was a blue and white scarf, something only humans had, and in one hand was a pipe, another object that could only be found with humans.

Mogens, however, always managed to retrieve objects from the human world. You could ask for practically anything that was of human origin, and he would have it. He even had a few things that were from magical creatures, ones that lived on land where the humans were but were not human.

"What do you want?" Mogens asked, visibly irritated.

In response, I grinned at him, swimming over, and patting him on the back. "I found myself in the area and thought I should visit my good friend," I said as he shook my hand away from him. He motioned for me to follow him into his home, an opportunity very few could get.

"I'm your only friend," he retorted as we both sat down by the table. On the table, I could see an assortment of human items, ranging from the sunken treasure of a gold coin to a large sword. They were all things that he didn't usually display outside in his stall.

Inside his abode, Mogens kept the more valuable and sought after human goods. After all, with pickpockets and thieves swarming this part of the city, no one would put their more prized possessions right where they could be snatched. The items inside of Mogens' home was sold to anyone who had the money, nobles, thieves, guards, doctors; it didn't matter who you were, as long as you had money or something of value Mogens was open for business.

Truthfully, he could have lived in the nicer part of the capital, around where I lived, but that means everything he sold would have to be kept a secret, and he couldn't have a stall out in the open like he did here.

"Hey! I have Bjarne and Timo!" I yelled back. I was slightly offended that my good friend thought that I had no one else to call my friend. I held back my tongue, trying my best not to mention Sigurd's name. It really was a pain, sometimes, trying to act as if I knew of no humans personally.

"Bjarne's your brother, Timo's your brother-in-law. Face it, Mikkel, despite being outgoing you have no social life," Mogens explained, a smug expression on his face. Before I could say something, however, Mogens was speaking again. "Anyway, it's good you came. I've got a favor to ask you," he said, a serious expression donning his already stern face.

I looked towards him as he motioned over for me to follow.

* * *

The door lead to the abyss.

'Damn, I told Bjarne I wouldn't go by the open ocean,' I thought to myself as I followed Mogens down into the dark waters. We swam by the wall, and I could only tell we were by a wall in this swallowing dark because Mogens kept his hand outstretched, palm flat as if it were against a surface.

I had no idea that Mogens even went down towards the bottom ocean. He didn't seem like the type to go exploring down there. The only people who went down there were either crazy, drunk, or were scholars that specialized on it.

"Look, you don't have to agree to this, but I'm really in a bind here," Mogens began as we swam, "Aleid, my sister, she's got a friend. And well, that friend has a little brother, but he's got a curse and it's bad."

After a few moments of wandering through the water we found a small cave in the wall. Mogens swam inside, pushing past a thick curtain of what I assumed was seaweed. To my surprise, the cave was bright inside.

One could hardly tell, since the abyss was so dark, at least at the point where Mogens and I were at. I had no idea how this cave could be lit so well on the inside and manage not to leak any light outside. Floating orbs lit the cave, bathing all inside with a soft orange glow. I reached out my hand to touch one of them, until my stunned silence was broken.

"Mogens! You came back!" A young voice chirped.

I turned back forward, hand retreating from the orb, to see what might have been the strangest sight in the world. Well, at the moment it was, I'm certain I've seen worse and weirder.

A little boy ran up to Mogens, his eyes twinkling with relief. He ran with two human legs.

* * *

 **Author's Note: It is my personal headcanon that Denmark is a mermaid. This was my first DenNor, so review how you think I did, feedback is always great! The updates for this will be kind of weird, too. Thanks for reading!**


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